In the midst of tragedy, you are either going to become a breeder of further hatred and chaos, or a positive voice for change.
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I usually do not like to engage in political discussions following devastating national events such as the Orlando shooting. And yet, after seeing the past two days of coverage on the shooting, I can’t stay silent. I can only come to one conclusion.
In the midst of tragedy, you are either going to become a breeder of further hatred and chaos, or a positive voice for change.
Because you cannot be both.
Notice that I did not say that we should be “loving and tolerant.” In this case, that is not the opposite of hatred and chaos. The Orlando shooting was not an act of love and tolerance and it is not something that we need to tolerate. It is something to mourn and collectively feel what has been filling our heads and hurting our hearts these past few days. We need to feel the rage, the confusion, the fear, and the grief.
But it’s what we do with these emotions in the coming months that really counts.
We can choose to use these feelings to fuel our fire for change, or we can choose to sit behind our computers and ignite more hostility.
Isn’t that why these beautiful people lost their lives in the first place, because of hatred against a group of people?
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Here is what I mean: Most of the posts I see about the Orlando tragedy are about supporting the victims. They are empathetic and filled with pain and a palpable desperation for things to be different. They unite us and collectively feed the need for change. Yet, give me two more minutes as I scroll down the page a little further and I will see MEMEs and rants that are not productive at all.
“Obama supports Muslims but not Christians? He is an idiot of a man.”
“Drinking game: Every time Obama mentions gun control, take a shot and think about what an idiot he is.”
“ISIS Attacked Russia and Putin bombed ISIS. ISIS Attacks the United States and Obama blamed the guns.”
I am all sorts of confused. Some people are extremely angry that politicians are citing gun control as the problem, and yet the gunman killed and seriously injured 100 PEOPLE. With a GUN.
There is no way that gun control is NOT an issue here.
The government is still conducting an investigation on his ties to ISIS and yet people are already jumping on the opportunity to spread Islamophobia and incite hatred and chaos on another group of people. Isn’t that why these beautiful people lost their lives in the first place, because of hatred against a group of people?
Here is what we DO know: This man expressed rage at the sight of seeing two gay men kiss. He could have chosen any bar to attack and yet he chose a widely-known LGBTQ bar. He could have chosen any week to attack and he chose the week of the Pride Festival. The fact that some people are completely glossing over the fact that this was a hate crime against the LGBTQ community is completely baffling to me. I see people acting seemingly “outraged” at this atrocity and yet they have publicly slandered the gay community in previous posts.
So let’s ignore the immense torture and suffering that this has caused an entire community and the people that love them, and instead write hostile rants pushing politicians to bomb another country because we are angry and terrified? Well, so is the LGBTQ community, which many of the same people crying terrorism and demanding more violence failed to support in the first place. This isn’t something that you get to shove upon us now because it’s convenient for you. Yes, that’s right. To everyone conveniently overlooking the intended targets of this crime, and seeing it as no more than a random act—you are merely using these people’s deaths to your advantage.
Jumping to conclusions is not helpful to anyone. A response like, “DOWN WITH ISLAM! RID THE WORLD OF EVIL!” is pure insanity.
Do not let this country implode on itself because we failed to look at the facts and take appropriate action. Do not let these people die in vain.
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Regardless of the gunman’s status with terrorist groups, let’s take an unbiased look at the number of terrorist attacks on the United States and the number of people killed by them in the last 10 years. Compare that to the number of mass shootings in the United States and the number of people killed by guns and let the facts speak for themselves.
In one year, gun violence deaths more than DOUBLED deaths by acts of terrorism over a 44-YEAR PERIOD. I don’t understand how this is something that can be ignored.
Waging war on an entire religion is not the answer, especially when we have an even bigger war going on right in our own country. There is no reason MORE people have to die for people to feel like this is resolved.
It is a fact that everyone is angry and scared, but ignoring a problem that is literally punching us in the gut and begging for our attention is not the answer and will not get us anywhere. We need to decide if the ability to purchase an assault rifle in less than 10 minutes is more important than (literally) hundreds and thousands of innocent lives.
Me personally, I’d rather err on the side of NOT getting more people killed before we have all the facts clearly and thoroughly laid out for us. And we need to come together on this one.
America: United We Stand, Divided We Fall.
Do not let this country implode on itself because we failed to look at the facts and take appropriate action. Do not let these people die in vain.
How to take action:
- Donate blood towards helping the victims who were seriously injured instead of posting belligerent Facebook MEME’s.
- Consider donating to the victim’s fund instead of spending your time hating Obama.
- Sign every petition you can, especially ones regarding stricter laws on gun control.
- Support Pulse and the LGBTQ community by posting pictures or tributes.
- Speak up in a respectful way and encourage others to do the same. Every little bit counts.
Photo: Getty Images
This is what I don’t get. If someone thinks a new law will have no effect, then why be so committed tooth and nail to prevent it being passed? Along the same lines: if one thinks the tyrannical federal government is out to take your guns away, then it really doesn’t need any enabling legislation to give it that power. If evil people with guns do evil regardless of the law, then there’s no need to waste energy fighting what you consider a bad law. If the “big bad ATF” feels free to ignore the Constitution, then laws reinforcing the… Read more »
[The “you” is a general you, not referring to any specific person.] The people who are blocking gun control laws are obsessive about the issue. If you want to beat them, you have to be just as obsessive about the issue as they are. Otherwise, no amount of “unity” or “calls for common sense” or “public outrage” will make any real difference. Carrying rainbow-colored posters is no more effective at creating change than “praying for the families.” It’s actually regressive over the long term. Millions of people supporting gun rights are single-issue voters, willing to sacrifice any other goal to… Read more »
I agree with your commitment to obsessiveness, and I think its a notable point if we seek change. I also agree with the fact that carrying flags, praying for families, and writing outraged comments does nothing TANGIBLE for change; we cannot see it immediately, but I do not believe that it is pointless in any way, shape, or form. It is possible to be angry and seek change at the same time. These families and people still need public support and they need to know that people see them and are ready to take action. I can go to a… Read more »
Hmm. Millions supporting a single issue stance. Sounds like the left. Whether it be a woman President, pro choice, income equality millions on the left are doing the exact same thing. We are so polarised I don’t think we’re gonna get back to any semblance of order. And the politicians are using that to their advantage.
I’m not sure how people on the left all advocating for the same thing is a serious issue. Are people on the right not doing the same? (Genuinely asking). I think there is a way to meet in the middle on gun control. If people on the right still have the goal of peace and unity in mind then there should be absolutely no issue with allowing more thorough background checks for criminals and mentally unwell people, and not allowing suspected terrorists to own a gun. That allows responsible gun owners (on both the left and the right) to still… Read more »
YUP, Gun control is what’s needed !!!
“The Daily Caller reports, In the latest incident of anti-gun hysteria to erupt in a school setting, a second-grade boy has been suspended from school for 10 days and could be permanently expelled because he brought a small water pistol and a small Nerf gun to school.”
I keep hearing “stricter laws and gun control” yet strict gun laws in Chicago didn’t prevent 250 murders this year in Chicago. Why isn’t anyone addressing that? Like my dad’s bumper sticker said, “outlaw guns and only outlaws will have guns.”
How about this ”“In 2014 in Chicago, over 2,500 people were shot—nearly 400 of them fatally—and police seized more than 6,252 guns. Yet out of those 6,252 guns seized, Fardon’s federal prosecutors saw fit to pursue just 62 weapons prosecutions. In other words, for every 100 guns police seized, federal prosecutors made just one prosecution.”
I can appreciate the argument for people being defenseless without guns, but in reference to mass shootings, the idea that a person will have a gun on their physical person, know how to use it, and successfully disarm or threaten the shooter with it is unlikely. These are surprise attacks on places like movie theaters, universities, and even elementary schools. I also believe that having access to guns and being prosecuted for guns illegally is a separate issue. I agree that the fact that 400 people were fatally shot in Chicago is not something to be glossed over either- No… Read more »
Again Molly. The are NOT assault rifles. They are look alike and are one shot at a time semi automatics. Fine ban them. But a shotgun with a large magazine will cause even more devastation in a crowd. There are more people than you realize who carry and have also saved a lot more lives that you don’t hear much about. Do you ever why there have been no school intrusions in TX yet? Most of the teachers have a gun in their desk. Finally though you mention that terrorism isn’t a plausible threat yet. Have you any idea how… Read more »
I put assault rifles in quotations on my last comment because I am aware that this is not what they are really called, but what others have been naming it as. I agree that a shotgun could do damage, and that is why I believe in the stricter laws on all guns, as I mentioned. There have been two school shootings in Texas in the past 5 years, but I will agree with you that it is significantly less than many other states. I’m not sure on the statistics of shootings avoided because of people being armed, and I’m sure… Read more »
I love your reply to Mr. Brechlin about gun control laws. “The left may want peace love and harmony but their methods are getting more violent as time marches on. Mark, where is your evidence that the left are going more violent? From what is happening in the last few years, it is the far right that is getting more violent. Who threaten to shoot law enforcement at the Bundy Ranch? Not the left wing. Who shot and kill those Nevada police officers? Not the left wing. Who took over the federal wildlife office in Oregon? Not the left wing.… Read more »
What if there is an evil ruling corporate elite that want divide us by religion, divide as by sexual orientation, divide us by nationality and even divide us by our sex? Could it be the left wing and the right wing are both parts of the same bird and the things they fear the most is peace, love and unity? Divided we will fall, especially if we are unarmed and the only ones that have guns are their government agency puppets.
That could be a likely possibility, but I prefer to think more optimistically than that. Experience has shown me that the left wing’s primary goal is peace, love, and unity, but unfortunately, in this nation full of back-handed dirty politics, some people need to “play the game.” (If you are referring to certain politicians, which I’m sort of sensing). I have never once heard something racist, bigoted, or ignorant come out of a recent left-wing politician’s mouth. So, I’m sticking with that evidence for now. Regardless of that , this article never directly addressed political parties. Although certain parties favor… Read more »
Where do you get the impression that the right isn’t interested in the same “peace love and unity?” Banning certain guns is going to bring “peace love and unity” but instead it’s causing mess of it. Although you avoided “parties” it still goes without saying where you lean and it’s clear that you lean in that direction. I grew up in Chicago and work with inner city kids from Chicago. As recent as Monday I was informed of yet another former client that was murdered in Chicago that I personally knew. This brings the count to 15. My heart and… Read more »
I agree with you that after reading the article and my comments, it is clear where I lean. I think that’s okay. I didn’t use the words “Democrat” and “Republican” in the article because it was not my intention to have the discussion head in that direction. I also did not intend to say that the right isn’t interested in peace, love, and unity. I absolutely believe that there are conservatives who have this goal in mind. What I meant to say is that no matter how crazy or unethical the left candidates are, I still have not heard anything… Read more »
Molly, thank you for responding to my various points. What I wanted to be clear about is that we have systems in place but those systems are clearly broken. The broken system is completely ignores and the broken parts are swept under the carpet. I would bet a dollar to a donut that most main didn’t know the low prosecution rate … why is that? It’s easier to point the finger at “guns” then to admit we have a broken system. How is that bringing us together as a community? It’s no more then a political move to try to… Read more »
Mr. Brechlin, if the right wingers had stepped up to the plate a long time ago, we would not have better gun control laws a long time ago. BTW, if you look at the states with the most gun violence, it is the red states even though they have the least restrictive gun laws, is quite clear that despite having an armed civilian population, gun violence has not gone down in those states at all..
Firearm violence is down across the board in the US and there is little to no correlation between gun control and overall violence. Example- Texas (one of the least restrictive) and California (one of the most restrictive) have identical homicide rates. DC has the most restrictive laws in the country… Vermont is least restrictive and the least violent. There are correlations with poverty and population density – highly evident when you look at Washington DC and Louisiana. However, even then its not that simple… Lets at least try to be data based in our approach. Or we can really go… Read more »
What is dissapointing to me is that I have thoughtfully responded to every issue and every response, being very clear in the fact that that I did not write this article to discuss left and right politics, and yet it keeps coming back to that over and over and over. None of that is my doing- that is people being defensive and completely straying from the issue. Nobody is ever truly unbiased, but some people are not even trying to forget their affiliated political party for a split second in the name of possibly seeking alternative solutions that havent been… Read more »
What class envy are you talking about? Where is your data about the correlation between gun control and overall violence?
Molly this country has been polarized way too long because the Republican Party adopted a win at all cost attitude for a long time and got rid of all moderate conservatives. That is a damm fact.
I agree wholeheartedly. Meanwhile, there are even more possible reactions than the ones listed. It is possible to have a valid response that is neither hate-filled nor in favor of stricter gun laws. Not all anti-hate organizations are anti-gun ownership. Not all groups promoting tolerance fall completely in the liberal camp. For example, the LGBT rights group known as “Pink Pistols” supports marriage equality for LGBT people and their right to carry firearms. One of their slogans is “right to marry, right to carry.” Other slogans of theirs: “Bash me and you’re dead.” “Armed gays don’t get bashed.” “Pick on… Read more »
I really don’t think anyone at either the NRA or in the GOP opposes law-abiding American citizens, whatever their opinions on other issues, from exercising their Second Amendment rights. But yes, I encourage all law-abiding Americans to obtain a firearm and learn to use it. It will open your mind to the self-discipline and personal satisfaction of learning to shoot proficiently.
Here’s an example of what I was getting at: Imagine a doctor working at an abortion clinic who shoots an anti-abortion protestor in self-defense. That would be a tricky event for a pro-life and pro-gun politician to comment on. It might create some tensions between different groups within the Republican Party. The GOP might have to create a little distance with the NRA in such a case, if the news media ever reported such a thing. By the way, it would probably be just as awkward for a liberal Democrat to deal with such a scenario. He/she might have to… Read more »
I really appreciate your response and how you offered a different perspective on the issue. I personally will always favor stricter gun laws for people with significant criminal histories, people that are mentally unstable or have a history of violence, and people that are suspected terrorists or on FBI watch-lists (like Mateen was). This is what Democrats are lobbying for right now. If these laws are passed, it shouldn’t have any bearing on the LGBTQ community’s access to guns. I think people are assuming I am saying that we should ban all guns. This is incorrect. However, taking a look… Read more »
Good point, so are we going to talk about what BLM did at a vigil for the victims the other day?
What did they do zemus. That wasn’t well reported. Good or bad?
If you’re referring to the woman who stood up at the vigil for Orla do and criticized white people in the crowd, citing the “Black Libed Matter” movement, and overall just not being supportive of the LGBT community, then my opinion is that it was not okay whatsoever. She was doing what many people in the crowd echoed: she was further dividing us, and she used a massive vigil to take advantage of the chance to publicly address hundreds of people. I do not condone behavior like that. On the other hand, I am still able to see that she… Read more »